Grayson Says He’s Running, but Not Where
Former Florida congressman has continued to raise money since leaving the House
Democratic firebrand former Rep. Alan Grayson said he is running for Congress again but has not given indication where he will run.
The former Democratic congressman raised $192,000 in the first quarter of 2018, according to Orlando Rising, and reported having $694,967 in cash on hand at the beginning of April.
While he announced his intention to get into the race, Grayson did not give any indication of the district where he will run, Orlando Weekly reported. Rather, he said, that “gets answered during the qualifying period.”
The period of qualifying for the ballot in Florida is between April 30 and May 4.
Grayson has officially filed to run in Florida’s 11th District, which is held by Rep. Daniel Webster, who beat Grayson in 2010 during his first tenure in the House.
But Grayson said he filed to run there to hold a spot that will allow him to raise money.
Speculation swirled around Florida when Republican Rep. Dennis Ross announced his retirement that Grayson might run for that seat, but when asked if he was considering running there, Grayson told the Orlando Sentinel that “I’m looking at all possibilities.”
Grayson left Congress last year after losing the Democratic primary for Florida’s Senate seat in a bitter race against then-fellow Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, who went on to lose to GOP incumbent Marco Rubio.
Grayson served in the House from 2009 to 2011 before losing to Webster and then again from 2013 to 2017.
Grayson was known for making inflammatory remarks both in Congress and to reporters, which earned him the support of many liberal groups but also the ire of many fellow Democratic members and leadership.
But he became a liability when reports surfaced he had abused his ex-wife.
Earlier this year, the political fact-checking organization Politifact hired Grayson as a reader advocate, then quickly reversed that decision after a firestorm of criticism about the hire because of Grayson’s history with the media.
The former congressman once threatened to have a reporter arrested after he asked about the allegations of spouse abuse.
